Abstract: A tire in which a tire manufacturer has determined the tractive capacity at numerous levels of tread wear, the tire having at least one visual warning indicator located at a tread depth corresponding to a percentage loss of tractive capacity. Also, a method of making the tire and a method improving traffic safety through use of such a tire combined with educating the consumer as to proper use of the tire.

Abstract: A convertible shoe having a shoe body and a shoe sole. An air channel formed in said shoe sole including pressurized air inlet and air exhaust. An elongated pocket or multiple individual pockets in the bottom of the shoe sole and along said air channel. A flexible wall portion between said air channel and pocket that expands into the pocket(s) upon pressurization of said air channel. A protrusion affixed to said flexible wall portion and which extends out of said pocket and into engagement with a support surface when said air channel is pressurized.

Abstract: The present invention is a method and device for closing a passageway in a body, for example a patent foramen ovale (PFO) in a heart, and related methods of using such closure devices for closing the passageway.

Abstract: A device and method for deploying a mechanical closure device for closing a passageway in a body, for example a patent foramen ovale (PFO) in a heart. The single disc mechanical closure device is comprise of a distal and proximal anchor constrained by a closure line to facilitate mechanical closure by bringing the distal and proximal anchors into close proximity along the closure line.

Abstract: Binding apparatus and a related process are particularly suited for binding digitally-printed sheets into booklets. The apparatus is adapted to fold individual sheets and then to apply adhesive to the fold line before gathering the sheets in a collator ready for binding. The collator includes either a rotatable or retractable finger that is moveable to temporarily inhibit registration of a first sheet of a new stack on a stacking area, as a previous stack is transported away.

Abstract: Peptides have been identified that bind with high affinity to body surfaces, such as, hair, skin, nails, teeth, gums, and oral cavity surfaces. Diblock and triblock peptide-based body surface coloring reagents formed by coupling a body surface binding peptide to a pigment binding peptide, either directly or through a spacer, are described. The peptide-based body surface coloring reagents may be used in conjunction with pigments to color body surfaces.

Abstract: A system for monitoring a level of product in a tank to detect one of a delivery and a drain operation is provided. The system comprises a monitor and a data center. The monitor is operably coupled to the tank and adapted to detect the level of product in the tank at a first rate and at a second rate. The data center is in communication with the monitor and adapted to receive a user inputtable threshold level of change. The monitor detects the level of product in the tank at the first rate until the threshold level of change is detected. Thereafter, the monitor detects the level of product in the tank at the second rate. The data center generates an alarm signal to indicate that one of the delivery and the drain has occurred.

Abstract: Combinatorially generated peptides are provided that have binding affinity for polystyrene (PS). The peptides may be used to deliver benefit agents to various PS surfaces.

Abstract: Combinatorially generated peptides are provided that have binding affinity for polypropylene (PP). The peptides may be used to deliver benefit agents to various PP surfaces.

Abstract: Combinatorially generated peptides are provided that have binding affinity for polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). The peptides may be used to deliver benefit agents to various PMMA surfaces.

Abstract: A compiler implemented software cache apparatus and method in which non-aliased explicitly fetched data are excluded are provided. With the mechanisms of the illustrative embodiments, a compiler uses a forward data flow analysis to prove that there is no alias between the cached data and explicitly fetched data. Explicitly fetched data that has no alias in the cached data are excluded from the software cache. Explicitly fetched data that has aliases in the cached data are allowed to be stored in the software cache. In this way, there is no runtime overhead to maintain the correctness of the two copies of data. Moreover, the number of lines of the software cache that must be protected from eviction is decreased. This leads to a decrease in the amount of computation cycles required by the cache miss handler when evicting cache lines during cache miss handling.

Abstract: A system and method for garbage collection in heterogeneous multiprocessor systems are provided. In some illustrative embodiments, garbage collection operations are distributed across a plurality of the processors in the heterogeneous multiprocessor system. Portions of a global mark queue are assigned to processors of the heterogeneous multiprocessor system along with corresponding chunks of a shared memory. The processors perform garbage collection on their assigned portions of the global mark queue and corresponding chunk of shared memory marking memory object references as reachable or adding memory object references to a non-local mark stack. The marked memory objects are merged with a global mark stack and memory object references in the non-local mark stack are merged with a “to be traced” portion of the global mark queue for re-checking using a garbage collection operation.

Abstract: An SOFC stack module including an integral individual stack manifold containing all of the gas pathways necessary for supply and exhaust of fuel gas and cathode air to and from the stack chimneys. The stack is mounted and hermetically joined directly to the manifold without an intermediate base plate. Flanges at the inlet and outlet ports couple to system distributary manifolds via high temperature sealing joints. The manifold preferably is fabricated of a ferritic stainless steel, and may be formed in a one-piece casting, a combination of multiple castings and stamped plates metallurgically joined (brazed or welded together), or stamped from sheet metal stock. Preferably, the manifold includes fin structures extending into adjacent fuel gas and cathode air chambers to enhance balancing of temperatures by heat exchange therebetween. Heat exchange may be further improved by configuring the manifold to have a plurality of interleaved anode and cathode gas supply chambers.

Abstract: Combinatorially generated peptides are provided that have binding affinity for clay. The peptides may be used to deliver benefit agents to various clay surfaces.

Abstract: This invention comprises a method for defining, establishing and operating a business model, or an augmentation to a business model, that uses a grant of a portion of the equity of a startup company as a component in a deal with a professional service company such as a consulting company.

Abstract: A “kill” intrinsic that may be used in programs for designating specific data objects as having been “killed” by a preceding action is provided. The concept of a data object being “killed” is that the compiler is informed that no operations (e.g., loads and stores) on that data object, or its aliases, can be moved across the point in the program flow where the data object is designated as having been “killed.” The “kill” intrinsic limits the reordering capability of an optimization scheduler of a compiler with regard to operations performed on “killed” data objects. The “kill” intrinsic may be used with DMA operations. Data objects being DMA'ed from a local store of a processor may be “killed” through use of the “kill” intrinsic prior to submitting the DMA request. Data objects being DMA'ed to the local store of the processor may be “killed” after verifying the transfer completes.

Abstract: A method for identifying hair conditioner-resistant hair-binding peptides is described. The hair conditioner-resistant hair-binding peptides bind strongly to hair from a hair conditioner matrix and are stable therein. Peptide-based benefit agents, such as hair conditioners and hair colorants, based on the hair conditioner-resistant hair binding peptides are described. The peptide-based hair conditioners and hair colorants consist of a hair conditioner-resistant hair-binding peptide coupled to a hair conditioning agent or a coloring agent, either directly or through an optional spacer. Hair care and hair coloring product compositions comprising these peptide-based hair conditioners and colorants are also described.

Abstract: Combinatorially generated peptides are provided that have binding affinity for nylon (NY). The peptides may be used to deliver benefit agents to various NY surfaces.

Abstract: Combinatorially generated peptides are provided that have binding affinity for polyethylene (PE). The peptides may be used to deliver benefit agents to various PE surfaces.

Abstract: A customer inserts a security device (D) into the USB port of his computer (C). When a transaction request confirmation (1) is transmitted to a merchant server (M), the merchant server (M) instructs an account server (AS). The account server (AS) performs customer verification, and payment (either with a local account or remote financial institute server). The account server (AS) communicates directly (3, 5) with the customer computer (C) with an encryption mechanism utilising security data read from the security device (D) and a time stamp. A security key for the security device is updated after each transaction and an embedded hardware key is also used.